Article

Supporting the Hemophilia Community

Hemophilia is a rare and life-long bleeding disorder in which the blood does not clot normally. While people with hemophilia can lead fairly normal lives with certain precautions to prevent and control bleeds, managing the condition can be challenging. Those living with hemophilia or caring for someone with hemophilia can face a wide range of difficulties—including medical, psychological, social and financial – which is why a strong network of support is a vital part of comprehensive care. Each...

Overcoming the Stigma of Sickle Cell Disease

People living with sickle cell disease (SCD), an inherited blood disorder that primarily affects African Americans in the U.S., have to deal with constant fatigue and severely painful episodes that can last for a few hours or as long as a week. Adding to these daily challenges, family, friends, and the general public can sometimes view people with SCD as weak, lazy or faking their symptoms. These stigmas even exist in healthcare settings, making it more difficult for people living with SCD to...

How I Became A Sickle Cell Warrior

In Kenya, where I was born, many people are aware of Sickle Cell Disease (SCD), more so than in the U.S. This may be because there is a greater proportion of the population in Africa that has the disease. My older brother and I were both born with SCD. We have also witnessed many people suffer from and lose family members and friends to the disease.For a long time, I lived in denial about having SCD. As a child, my view of it was very negative; I could not imagine anything positive ever coming...

Common Misconceptions About Vitiligo

Vitiligo (pronounced: vittle-EYE-go) is a skin disorder that causes depigmentation (loss of skin color) in irregular patchy patterns. The disorder itself is rare, affecting only about 0.5% to 1% of the world’s population. Though vitiligo is neither fatal nor life-threatening, there is a social stigma that results in lowered self-esteem among those with the skin condition. As a dermatologist who has treated many patients with vitiligo, raising awareness is one way to help dispel the damaging...

Understanding Genetic Testing

How much do you really know about health problems that may run in your family? Are there any that may affect you now or in the future? Or that may affect your children? Genetic testing can help people and their healthcare providers make more informed health care decisions. But there are some potential limitations of genetic testing to be aware of, too. Read on to learn more. The background: What are genes/chromosomes? Genes are found in chromosomes, which are located inside cells. Genes are...

My Story: Lupus and Pregnancy, What If?

Having lupus and wanting to have a child I always knew I wanted to be a mother—and to be one at a relatively young age too. It was something I started thinking seriously about after I graduated from college. The issue for me was that I was diagnosed with lupus when I was 17. For many women with lupus, it is possible to have a successful pregnancy. However, all lupus pregnancies are considered high risk, for both mother and baby. That made the decision to get pregnant the biggest health-related...

Science & Innovation

Investigating the Next Wave of Innovation to Help People with Hemophilia

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Working to Develop a More Safe and Convenient Treatment Option for Patients with Rare Platelet Disorder

While many people have heard of the blood disorder hemophilia, immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is a lesser-known bleeding disorder that also severely impacts patients’ quality of life.When you have a cut or injury, thrombocytes, or platelets, are tiny, colorless cell fragments that form a “plug” in blood vessels to help begin the clotting process. ITP is an autoimmune condition that causes a person’s immune system to attack their platelets, leading to low platelet counts. Some people with ITP may...

Living & Wellbeing

World Duchenne Awareness Day: It’s More Than Muscles

What are boys between the ages of 1 and 6 doing? Well, for a rare few, they have been diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (also known as DMD).  Did you know that 90% of boys diagnosed with Duchenne are in wheelchairs by age 15? Even more surprising, according to recent studies of boys living with Duchenne, approximately 32% had attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), 26% had learning difficulties, and 17-27% had an intellectual disability. In recognition of World Duchenne...

A Novel Approach to Hemophilia: Stopping the Body’s Natural Clotting Brakes

  Our bodies delicately balance clotting and anti-clotting mechanisms, which help to stop bleeding when there’s an injury or dissolve dangerous clots that can form in blood vessels. But for patients with hemophilia, a rare genetic disease that causes deficiencies in clotting factor VIII or IX, this delicate balance is upset. Patients experience excessive bleeding after an injury and can suffer permanent joint damage following repeated bleeding episodes. For decades, the most common treatment...

Seeking to Improve Quality of Life for Children with Achondroplasia

  For children with achondroplasia, the most common type of dwarfism, scientists are exploring new ways to restore bone growth and potentially address some of the major health complications with the condition, such as spinal problems, swelling in the brain, frequent ear infections and sleep apnea.   Achondroplasia is a rare genetic bone disorder affecting 1 in 15,000 to 40,000 people in the U.S. The average height for men with the condition is about 4 feet, 4 inches and for women it’s 4 feet...

Purpose & Ideals

Connecting Patients to the Resources They Need

At Pfizer, we believe that patients should have access to the medicines they need. Which is why, for more than 30 years, Pfizer RxPathways has helped connect patients to a range of assistance programs that offer insurance support, co-pay help,[1] and medication for free or at a savings. Each year, we receive emails, cards, and phone calls from patients and caregivers across the country expressing their appreciation and gratitude for our services and support. Here are excerpts from just a...